


Finally Free

by Miya_Morana



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Bisexual Flynn (Julie and The Phantoms), Bisexual Julie Molina, Bisexual Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Fluff, Multi, Pride, there is no real plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:01:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26934775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miya_Morana/pseuds/Miya_Morana
Summary: Pride has changed a little since 1995.
Relationships: Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 20
Kudos: 407





	Finally Free

**Author's Note:**

> I entirely blame Morganoconner. Also there's no plot here really, and it's super short, but I had to write it. I just wanted them to enjoy Pride, and for Alex to see how much things had changed. :)

They’re arguing about the harmonies of their newest song when Flynn pushes open the door and announces that Julie and her need to talk about outfits.

“We don’t even have our next gig yet,” Luke replies. “We should finish working out this bridge before talking about costumes.”

Flynn waves her hand around dismissively. “I mean for next Saturday. It’s Pride, baby!”

“Next Saturday already?” Julie gets up from behind her keyboard and rushes towards her best friend excitedly. 

“Wait what?” Luke asks, confused

“They had Pride in the 90s, right?” Flynn stage whispers to Julie.

“I think so?” She looks up towards Alex, who shoves his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah, we did,” he says in a small voice, and Julie gives him a warm smile that instantly helps him relax. He smiles back.

“But what… why…” Luke is still fumbling over his words.

“Bi girls gotta represent!” Flynn exclames, raising her hand for a high-five, which Julie gives her.

Luke blinks. Alex smirks. “Had you really not noticed the gender-neutral wording in Flying Solo, dude?”

“Um, can someone explain to me what we’re talking about?” Reggie asks.

***

“I’m off to band practice!” Alex calls out as he’s already halfway out the door. It’s not like he’s expecting an answer anyway.

The bus takes him downtown, and he joins the small crowd that’s gathered on the sidewalk just as the parade arrives. Alex watches, mesmerized, as the drago-queens at the front strut in front of him, followed by a float from which music is blaring, and then what feels to him like a huge crowd. Men, mostly bare-chested, marching, chanting, a group of women on bikes, even a small band of older people with a PFLAG banner.

Alex’s parents will never march with them, he knows, and something squeezes his chest. He will probably never march with them either. Not if he wants Sunset Curve to be a success. While he knows there are a lot of gays in show-biz, the only ones who are out besides Elton John are in musical theatre. Certainly not in rock bands.

Maybe it’ll change, one day, he thinks, eyes sweeping over the onlooking crowd, then on the people marching. There’s so many of them. _So many of us, I had no idea._

He could slip beneath the tape, join in. They haven’t made it big yet, and most of their fans pay more attention to Luke than to him anyway. He bites his lower lip, hesitating. He’s still thinking about it when the tail of the parade passes by. His shoulders fall.

Another bus takes Alex back to the suburbs, to his bandmates. To his family.

***

Reggie insists on getting his nails done in the colors of the bisexual flag, even though no one will see them except his bandmates. There’s a word for how he feels, and Flynn assured him that even if he’s mostly attracted to girls and only sometimes to boys he still counts.

Alex will have to admit, he did not see that one coming.

Marching when no one can see you feels a little uneffective, but Julie’s enthusiasm is hard to say no to. Plus Willie said he’d meet them there.

Alex’s anxiety is through the roof when they poof to the rally point from which the pride walk will leave. When they appear, his breath gets knocked out of him.

He’d thought the crowd at the ‘95 Pride had been big. It’s nothing compared to the people here now. 

“It’s so colorful!” Reggie exclaims.

“They have good taste in music too,” Luke comments as Queen starts playing from a nearby float.

“There’s so many…” Alex can’t believe his eyes. “And so many people our age!” There had been almost no teenagers last time. But here they were, laughing in groups, wearing rainbow flags as capes, waving banners about trans women being women, taking photos of themselves and posting them online for all to see.

So young, so sure of themselves, so proud. So free.

“There you are!” Willie comes to a stop in front of them, stepping off his board. “I saw your friends over there, if you’re looking - are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Alex smiles through his tears. “Yeah, I’m alright. I love the future.”

Willie smiles back and takes his hand. The crowd starts moving, passing through them, and Willie pulls Alex on his skateboard. “Come on, let me show you just how magical things can be.”

“You bring him home at a reasonable hour, young man!” Reggie playful chides him, pointing his pink-nailed finger at Wille’s nose.

Willie gives a bow and his word, and they skate off, waving at Julie when they pass her.

***

Luke watches Julie marching and chanting, dancing in the street, one arm looped through Flynn’s, Reggie’s hand firmly squeezed on her other side. The three of them look so happy. He hears a familiar voice overhead, and spots Alex and Willie on top of one of the floats, singing and dancing together.

Julie turns her head back to look at him and smiles, and his heart seems to burst with joy. All he’s ever wanted, besides playing music, is to see his friends, his _family_ , happy.

He poofs out for a second and comes back with handfuls of glitter he “borrowed” from a glitter cannon, throws it in the air. The crowd hoots and screams happily. A ray of sunshine lands on Julie just the right way to make her sparkle like a diamond.

Luke steps in front of her and she stops, looking up at him.

“You are so wonderful,” he says, simply, and presses a quick kiss on her lips before poofing out on top of the float where Alex and Willie are dancing.

Alex squeezes his shoulder, shouts “Took you long enough!” over the music, then goes back to dancing. Down in the crowd, Reggie points towards him and Julie looks up at him. For a second she lets go of Reggie and Flynn to form a heart shape with her hands in his direction. It’s hard to tell from the distance, but she seems a little flushed.

Luke grinns.


End file.
